onfocus

But even as that was happening, the Vice President didn’t stoop to a contest of two truths, a contest over which truth voters might pick. She instead made it clear that the basis of the “truth” Trump offers, is a base of weakness and fear. She didn’t refute individual aspects of Trump’s truth. She instead kicked at its foundations, and showed how flimsy it is.

Interesting analysis of Harris' debate strategy. Rather than responding point by point to misinformation, she stayed on the task of dismantling maga mythology.

Tennessee state Sen. Jon Lundberg, who co-sponsored both punitive Tennessee laws, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press this week, “The legislature is constantly looking at, What else can we do?”

Quick suggestion: ban assault rifles.

…one of the big reasons the race is close is that a whole lot of people look at Donald Trump's promises to menace and harm and kill literally millions of already marginalized people and they really like it; it makes them feel really good, it makes them feel like they're great again—so great that they're willing to overlook the fact that Trump is a profoundly ignorant grotesque dilettantish bully possessing not a single redeeming quality. And this group calls itself "conservative," a word they use to mean "the good people."

Please vote for people who care about other people.

Public schools and municipal buildings were closed for a second day in Springfield, Ohio, following bomb threats on Friday due to false claims about the city’s growing Haitian population.

This was caused by the Republican campaign for President. It’s a preview of what a second Trump Presidency would look like.

Within a few minutes Trump was visibly angry and not in a way that empowered him but in a way that made him lose focus, go down rabbit holes and generally go off onto damaging tangents.

It was like Harris was able to put Trump into some sort of state where he could only string keywords together randomly. Terrifying prospect that he could be in the demanding job of President again.

The central problem is this: You—the expert who possesses real knowledge of the topics that are up for debate—are bound by a world that has rules. Your opponent, the lying propagandist and fabulist, is not.

Elie Mystal with a great description of why the TV debate format favors the unhinged.

A reality-based article comparing the candidates’ “housing plans” would have gone something like: Harris, who talks about housing all the time on the stump, has a real and reasonably detailed plan that economists say has some good points and bad points; Trump shows no sign of having given even 10 seconds of thought to the housing crisis (on Trump’s 20-point platform, the word isn’t mentioned), and by the way, he spent four years as president, during which time he amassed a thoroughly rotten record on housing and never once showed any interest in ameliorating the affordable housing crisis; how about that?

The media reports "mass deportations" are a housing plan with a straight face without describing the chaos and agony of that "plan". As if inflicting mass violence is just another viable option for you to consider.

The father of Apalachee High School mass shooting suspect Colt Gray told investigators this week he had purchased the gun used in the killings as a holiday present for his son in December 2023, according to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.

Gun culture is a plague in our country. Hold the parents accountable. Hold the gun manufacturers accountable. Hold the gun sellers accountable. Hold the gun culture influencers accountable. Hold politicians who refuse to take action accountable. Ban guns. Enough.

They pursue the appearance of fairness and balance by treating the true and the false, the normal and the outrageous, as equally valid and by normalizing Republicans, especially Donald Trump, whose gibberish gets translated into English and whose past crimes and present-day lies and threats get glossed over.

Continual normalization across all media is the problem. How can we have an informed electorate if the information isn’t accurate?

During an event billed as a speech about the economy, Donald Trump was addled and confused, rambled incoherently, and launched into strange non sequiturs. Yet The New York Times’s initial news story made the event sound far more normal than it was. Is the press doing an adequate job of analyzing Trump’s deteriorating mental state?

Great episode of The Daily Blast discussing the failure of media to accurately discuss Trump. Greg talks with journalist Meredith Shiner.

It is not a divided America. Patriots are gathering together and putting past differences aside to forestall a next civil war, to support and defend the Constitution. The movement that matters is not Trump’s and the Republicans’ fascist insurrection, which is the one that gets attention in news media. The movement that matters now is this one: the movement for democracy.

The NYT isn’t giving this story any weight. Will any other mainstream press outlets?

Now, as Harris energetically lays out how she wants to improve the country, Trump’s bizarre speeches look even more concerning than they did before. After all, during his first term, Trump’s imprecise, impulsive way of communicating  made him exceptionally dangerous when speaking about sensitive diplomatic and national security issues, such as in his policies toward North Korea. Those risks will only be greater if he becomes president again.

Mental fitness is also a concern—in addition to the fascism, grifting, and love of dictators.